I'm Ornn, and I'm about to be beaten to my knees by the Man-eating Horse Girl!

"Correct."

“Since you are a member of the Symbol family, how could you do something that goes against the family's interests? After all, although Morita Itsuki's methods are somewhat abstract, he is indeed considering the Symbol family’s interests,”

"President, I don't think you can openly do things that go against the family's wishes, can you?"

Rudolph's tone remained calm as she said, "Yes, I can no longer openly defy the family, but I can exercise my right to help you."

"So, do you agree?"

Orn pondered for a moment, then asked, "So what's the price for getting your help, Master? It can't be free, can it?"

"It's simple. Since you've chosen to keep playing, you must be trying to break Morita Itsuki's control with a Game 1 victory, right?"

Rudolf calmly stated his demands: "My demands are simple. I will help you gain as much support as possible among the school's neutral board members. At the same time, you can use my personal name in this matter, and your horse girls can also be transferred to the central board."

"As for the price, if you can enter the central government when everything is over, I hope you can mentor one of my juniors."

"And once you step onto the G1 stage, our collaboration will end. That's a fair proposal, isn't it?"

The price Rudolf proposed seemed disproportionate to the resources she was willing to expend, but in reality, her calculations were quite ingenious.

Morita Itsuki's reason for wanting Ornn to abandon his local connections and come directly to the central government was not merely to better control Ornn; more importantly, at this point, Ornn was essentially a trainer for his faction.

According to his plan, Orn would naturally become tinged with Morita Itsuki's faction, so that other families and factions would have to pay him "compensation" if they wanted Orn to help with training.

This reward wouldn't be a common resource like money, but rather the intricate network of connections within powerful families—what's known as "favors."

When Morita Itsuki was still Rudolf's symbolic trainer, he used this method to obtain a large amount of "rewards," and it was precisely because of this that he was able to almost bring down the emperor who bore the prestigious title of "Seven Crowns."

Even though he ultimately lost his struggle against Rudolf, he still gained enough to leave gracefully.

It's just a little girl's absurd dream; what role can it play in an adult's game?

But the arrogant Morita Itsuki overlooked one thing: after he and Rudolf completely broke up, the little girl still did not relax her training and study, and even... her strength became even greater than before!

During those three years, Rudolph not only followed Morita Itsuki's orders like a puppet, but she also learned Morita Itsuki's methods.

Forming factions and groups, leveraging one's reputation and influence to coordinate various forces, and continuously expanding one's influence through the student union.

The emperor, employing the same techniques her cane had once used, summoned a supercar and the empress, as well as several of her former rivals.

She assembled a new generation of student council members, and the short, orange-haired girl in the college with the green reins tacitly approved of her actions.

Under the Emperor's rule, the students of Central Tressen are now more united and more disciplined than ever before!

The current emperor sees through Morita Itsuki's most skillful methods better than anyone else! He also knows better than anyone else how to deal with such shameless tactics!

It's very simple, just be faster and more ruthless than Morita Itsuki!

Rudolf's suggestion over the phone directly interrupted Morita Itsuki's plan. Her method was simple, direct, and effective: just get Orn to make contact with them first!

Even if Ornn fails to win this struggle and rightfully become the Central Trainer, Rudolph can use his accumulated reputation and power to bring him directly into the Central Training Command.

At that point, Ornn will become an absolute main force in her camp! Morita Itsuki's plan will be completely ruined!

The most crucial point is that the genius who tells lame jokes on the other side is completely unaware of the underlying logic! If he agrees, he will fall into this conspiracy... no, it should be said that he will get on this pirate ship!

Heh heh, this move not only gains me a strategist, but also two generals and a quartermaster! It's truly heaven's help!

Rudolph suppressed a smile and asked, "So? This deal should demonstrate my sincerity, right?"

"And what's your answer, Doran's squad trainer?"

On the other end of the phone, Oguri looked at her trainer with some concern.

Ornn rubbed his fingers together again. The deal sounded perfectly reasonable: the other party helped him, he would repay them, and from then on, they would be even, each going their own way.

He felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it right now.

After a silence of about a minute, he said, "In that case, I'll take care of you, President."

"But let me make this clear from the start: I'm choosing to trust the president now, so please don't stab me in the back later, that would be terrible."

Rudolf smiled, this time a genuine smile.

She said in an unquestionable tone, "Of course, please rest assured, I am willing to swear by the Shinano River Taiga that this cooperation is truly sincere."

Chapter 73 Two Reporters

After agreeing to the cooperation agreement symbolized by Rudolf, Orn returned the phone to Fujimasa March, who was staring at her warily.

"Don't worry, it was just a friendly chat. Here, take it."

Rudolf waved his hand, nodded to Rokuhei beside him, and then turned and left with the air tank.

Fujimasa picked up the phone and quickly asked, "Oun, she didn't threaten you in any way, did she?"

Orn replied with a smile, "No, quite the opposite, she is indeed a qualified student council president."

"Enough of that. Congratulations on your victory in the Zhongjing Cup, march."

"I watched your race with Xiaoli. Your initial sprint and your control over the stamina expenditure throughout the race were both perfect,"

"Of my three roles, you are definitely the most rational horse girl."

Fujimasa gripped her phone tightly. This was the first time she'd heard Orn praise her so directly. Whether during practice or when she was learning a skill, he'd never uttered such words of praise before.

"Phew... Orn, you can actually compliment people. It seems I really don't know my trainer well enough,"

The girl smiled, looked at the winner's stage being prepared on the playground, and said, "I have completed my task, Orn. ​​The next match will be yours and Oguri's."

"Give them a shock from Kasamatsu, and then let them shine brightly in the central government!"

After saying that, she hung up the phone, nodded to Shibasaki and Kitahara, then handed the brand-new, bewildered Radiance to Noren Ace, and turned to walk towards the stage.

Looking at the now-dulled phone screen, Xiao Limao said with some disappointment, "Ah... the call was disconnected."

"I was going to congratulate her on her passing, but she died so quickly."

Orn helplessly handed the phone to the girl next to him and laughed, "That's just her style. Although she's very calm on the field, her everyday life is always full of energy, isn't it?"

"Oguri, it's our turn now. Let's show them the power of the [monster]!"

Oguri Hat's ears twitched. She nodded, then swallowed the lava cake in front of her in one gulp. The cake, the size of two adult fists, didn't survive a second in the "monster's" mouth.

Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone in the café, Orn, wearing the chestnut hat, walked towards the inn.

Looking at the expression on his face beside him, who seemed to still want more of the cake, he sometimes wondered if, back when Pigsy ate the ginseng fruit, he had used the same posture as Little Chestnut Hat when eating. Maybe then he would have known what the ginseng fruit tasted like.

It's strange, isn't it? Taste cells should only be concentrated on taste buds, so if the tongue doesn't make full contact with the food, the diner shouldn't be able to taste it.

However, based on Orn's observations of Oguri Hat's eating habits, food actually stays in her mouth for a very short time, perhaps less than three seconds. Yet, Oguri Hat can accurately describe the taste of what she eats and even guess the ingredients used in it.

Could it be that her esophagus can taste food?

Horse girl, you're truly amazing!

The next day, at Kyoto Racecourse, two and a half hours before the Heian Championship began,

A vehicle marked "TBS Broadcasting System" and another marked "NHK Broadcasting System" had a minor collision while vying for a parking space. Immediately, a group of people got out of the vans on both sides and began hurling insults at each other.

A rather flamboyant-looking man jumped out of the passenger seat of a van emblazoned with "TBS Broadcasting System." He tightened his trench coat and the camera hanging around his neck, and began swearing in fluent Kansai dialect.

"Damn it! Do you guys even know how to drive?! With this kind of skill, you call yourselves drivers for news interviews?! I could find a dog that could drive better than you! What kind of NHK TV is this?! We were the ones who spotted the back of the car first! A bunch of old fogies are still trying to take the spot from the young people! Pah! You have no shame!"

Not only were the people on the other side stunned by the bespectacled reporter's outburst, but even their own people were taken aback.

But the reporter clearly hadn't had enough of his rant; he was just about to unleash his fury when the NHK staff on the other end realized what was happening.

Several of the more impatient ones immediately surrounded the bespectacled reporter, grabbing him by the collar, seemingly preparing for a physical altercation.

"Oh my god! No way?! You guys aren't planning to kill me, are you?"

"Here? In front of so many eyewitnesses?!"

He waved the camera in his hand, indicating that he had started recording.

The burly man who had grabbed his chest immediately realized what was happening. He quickly released his grip and stepped back, glaring angrily at the bespectacled reporter in front of him.

The reporter grinned slyly, waving his camera as if he had seized a prized possession.

The woman sitting in the passenger seat of the NHK car sighed. She got out of the car with a notebook in her hand and looked at the lively guy in front of her, sighing, "Fujii Izumi, don't you even give your senior sister any face?"

Fujii Izumi was startled by the tall woman who suddenly appeared before him. He quickly dropped his playful demeanor, coughed lightly, and said, "So it's Senior Sister Otana Fumiko. I was wondering how those old fogies from NHK could keep up with my eye for talent and choose this auspicious spot as well!"

"Even if it's Senior Sister Yuezi, I won't give up this spot! After all, we were the ones who saw this parking space first!"

Fumiko Otoko shook her head helplessly. This time, she really did want to be the first to reserve the parking space. As an excellent reporter and the newspaper's editor-in-chief, she wasn't the kind of unreasonable, spoiled brat.

In this situation, a harmonious solution is the best approach.

"Alright, it was definitely my fault this time. Luckily, there are still plenty of spots available. How about I give you this prime location?"

Fujii Izumi smiled smugly, waved, and nodded to the NHK staff, saying, "In that case, farewell! Goodbye!"

Sitting in the car, the muscular man next to the female reporter asked, "Editor-in-chief, this guy is so arrogant, why don't you teach him a lesson?"

"Besides, he's your junior brother. This is incredibly rude!"

Futsuko Otona simply smiled. Looking at Izumi Fujii, who was still smiling and waving at her in the rearview mirror, she suddenly asked, "You should know my alma mater, right?"

The muscular man was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "I know, the editor-in-chief is the top student in the journalism department at the University of Tokyo, an absolute genius who graduated first in the entire department!"

"Not only that, the editor-in-chief is also fluent in seven foreign languages ​​and has a wealth of knowledge about horse racing. Even the station director praised his incredible learning ability!"

The female reporter nodded and said, "Yes, these are some of the achievements I made during my university years."

"And Izumi Fujii is the only one who can rival my achievements,"

"His journalism major at the University of Tokyo ranks second in the entire department in terms of GPA, he is fluent in four foreign languages, and he is also very interested in horse racing; even the seven-time champion Rodolfo knows his name."

Do you think he has the right to be arrogant now?

The driver fell silent, because any one of these points was an overwhelming advantage.

He turned to look at the Kyoto Racecourse beside him and guessed, "So, his purpose in coming here this time is the same as ours?"

Otome Futsuko nodded. She opened her phone and scrolled through the list of participants in the Heian Championship, eventually fixing her gaze on a cute profile picture of someone eating something.

"Yeah, the only thing that could attract him to come all the way from Tokyo is this [monster], right?"

"To be honest, even I'm looking forward to seeing the 'Furry Monster' on the field again. After all, besides this little chestnut-hatted guy, there's also the 'Furry Monster' in the center,"

"If possible, these two female horsemen might have a match in a G1-level game!"

The burly driver agreed, "A duel between two 'reed-haired' men? If it really works out, it'll be a showdown that everyone's been waiting for!"

Chapter 74: Studying Journalism

In the tunnel before the match, Orn was quietly waiting for Oguri, who was changing into her leotard.

He glanced at the nearly full audience seats and began to plan his next move.

The former swordsman was right. What he needed to strive for now was the qualification to compete against Morita Itsuki. But judging from his current resources, he was still a bit short of the necessary skills to enter this arena.

Even with the student council president's help, it would be difficult to get the president of the URA Horse Racing Association to side with him. After all, even with pressure from two members of the school board, the president remained unmoved.

He still needed a decisive opportunity to decide the course of the battle. The timing and location were already in place, but the most crucial element was the people and...

Ornn glanced at the excited crowd in the arena and made up his mind.

A light footstep came from behind him. Little Chestnut Hat tiptoed, seemingly making a final adjustment to his shoes.

Orn's furrowed brow and pensive expression vanished instantly, replaced by a smile as he said, "Hey, Koguri, ready to make your debut?"

“I’m ready to drag you down.”

A confident look appeared on Lu Mao's face as he extended his right fist toward Orn.

Ornn stared at Little Chestnut's tiny fist for a moment, then realized what he meant and asked with a smile, "Fist bump? Little Chestnut, where did you learn that? Did Glorious and the others teach you again?"

Oguri's hat twitched back and forth, and she said, "This... was given to me by everyone in Kasamatsu."

"They say that if you're in a bad mood, bumping fists can cheer you up!"

"Hey, drag me along, let's bump fists!"

Ornn looked at the little chestnut-hatted boy's outstretched right fist, hesitated for a moment, and then raised his own right hand to touch it.

“Go, Oguri, go and show them the power to dominate a new era,”

As he spoke, he adjusted the hair ornament on Oguri's head with both hands, patted the girl's back, and pushed her towards the arena.

"Now taking the stage is the highly anticipated favorite! The most popular contestant of the match! From Kasamatsu, the Ash-haired Horse Girl!! Oguri Hat!!!"

With the commentator's enthusiastic explanation, Oguri nodded to Ornn, who was emerging from the shadows of the passage, then turned and walked towards the direction of the gate.